Meet Team Blue!

Our clients sometimes call us 'les bleus', 'the blues' or 'team blue'. Just as long as you don't call us smurfs, we'll be happy. Voici les bleus, enchantés !

Stef Van De Gehuchte

Stef is a translator – or he has a degree in translation, at least - and he is also a great dad to Federica. Passionate about surfing, American literature, travel and plants, he is the driving force behind The Jungle, our co-office. He spends at least an hour a day taking care of all the plants, which has earned him the title of 'plant manager'. He is eccentric and sociable, and has a big mouth sometimes. “Always!” in Sofie’s opinion. He is in charge of strategy and bosses folks around at Blue Lines. Not that it's really necessary in such a well-oiled team of superheroes. He has never been known to turn down a nice Nebbiolo and likes to dine in style at Nzet (and did you know that the chef trained as an interpreter?)

Sofie De Spiegeleer

Back in the day, Sofie joined forces with Stef to set up probably the best translation agency in the world. As well as being a certified translator and quality manager in a class of her own, she is also the glue which holds the team together. Sofie loves the best bicycle repairman in Ghent and beyond, her young daughters Mien and Kika, reading and yoga. Not necessarily in that order. She once tried her hand at surfing but the waves scared her away. Sofie dots the i's, crosses the t's and makes sure that every translation project runs smoothly. And that means yours too!

Ilse Criel

Ilse loves words and everything you can do with them. She prefers listening to talking and likes to find out everyone's life story. She is the mother of three gorgeous children and regularly goes on long walks to let off steam. Her favourite restaurant is Tanuki in Bruges. You will also find her enjoying a Delta IPA from time to time. Although she proves invaluable to Stef and Sofie in the day-to-day management of the company, she isn't all that keen on fancy job titles. Actions speak louder than words: you just get on with it, in Ilse’s view.

Manu Van Bockstaele

It should come as no surprise to learn that Manu is also a certified translator, as well as a born project manager and father of three. We've got no idea how he does it, but he still finds the time to play guitar and bass in two Ghent bands. A fascinating fact about Manu: if you're wandering around Ghent and smell a barbecue, there's a fair chance that Manu will have a hand in it (not literally, of course). Fascinating fact two: the neighbours call his place 'the clubhouse'. Yep, our Manu is a pretty sociable chap. He enjoys the good life too. Cheers!

Virginie Pira

Qu’est-ce que tu dis? Virginie is our French-speaking project manager. During her Erasmus exchange in Ghent, she fell for a nice chap called Tim and decided to stick around. Sometime later, the adorable Alice came along. Her success story at Blue Lines began with a fantastic work placement. Sticking with good things seems to have become a habit, as Virginie has been a tower of strength here for years now. She fills up her free time with her two passions: translating and horse riding. Not both at the same time, you understand.

Margo Van Thienen

Margo is a graphic designer with a huge passion for languages. This magical combination allows her to deliver your translations in the desired layout. Although she only joined our team of project managers recently, she quickly made herself indispensable. She's one in a thousand. Or a million, even. Her sons and boyfriend feel just the same way. Not that our other colleagues are any less pleasant – far from it – but Margo is a ray of sunshine in the office.

Kobe Vander Beken

It’s becoming a bit of a trend at Blue Lines, and thankfully so: Kobe has a degree in translation and has earned his stripes in the translation sector as a Project Manager and Quality Controller. His knowledge of Spanish came in handy when he met the mother of his children in Peru. After all, why look for love in Ghent when you can find it in Latin America? Kobe is a real go-getter, that much is certain. When he couldn’t find any affordable imported beers in Peru, he rolled up his sleeves and brewed his own with local cherries and grains. At home, he likes to cook up delicious Peruvian dishes and shake up the best pisco sour you’ll ever taste. In a nutshell, Kobe is a versatile, experienced Project Manager who outdoes himself time and time again, also in the kitchen. Needless to say, he’s the perfect addition to our team. Now let’s plan for that pisco sour, shall we? Salud!

You are passionate about languages and translation. Limbo dancing really isn't your thing, as you prefer to set the bar high. You spot details that even Sherlock Holmes would miss… if he was a real person, that is. Does this sound like you? Feel free to send us your CV! And if you have the skills we need and a winning language combination, our infamous test translation awaits you. Stun us with your elegant turns of phrase and unerring feel for language and who knows, your Blue Lines career might just start here!